Lisa Michl Ko-manggén (OAM)

Lisa Michl is a celebrated Kokoberrin artist from Central Western Cape York Peninsula in Queensland Australia. Lisa is of the Kokoberrin language group and her homelands on her mother’s and grandmother’s side are known as Pinnarinch and stretch between Staaten River National Park in the south and north to Nassau River, including Wyabba Creek and Dorunda Lodge area.

The beautiful and remote lands of Pinnarinch encompass several important Clan Story Places with Komanggén being one of them. In Kokoberrin language Ko-manggén means “Saltwater catfish”. This totem name was given to Lisa by her great grandfather, the most senior Kokoberrin elder and lore man. Today the Kokoberrin reside mainly in Kowanyama, Normanton and other north Queensland communities where strengthening and maintaining cultural practice is achieved through a variety of activities.

On her father’s side, Lisa has links to the Czech Republic in Europe where her extraordinary paintings have been exhibited to wide acclaim. Lisa’s beautifully coloured earth tone paintings present intricate forms and bold designs that have found favour among collectors in the USA, Canada and Europe. Closer to home, Lisa has shown her works in prominent Australian exhibitions such as The RAKA Award, Story Place, Indigenous Art of the Cape York & Rainforest and Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and her works have been selected for the prestigious National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.

Lisa has been practicing visual arts for 23 years and over this time her works have been inspired by her memories of time spent on country with her Kokoberrin family. Lisa’s artworks can be found in the collections of the Australian Embassy in Germany, Australian ArtBank, National Gallery of Victoria, Queensland Art Gallery, Parliament House, Cairns Regional Gallery and Pullman Cairns International.

Exhibitions

2021      AIATSIS Indigenous Art Market, 2021, online

Independent Artist Exhibition, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, online

UMI Arts Market at Darwin Aboriginal Arts Fair NT, online

Curated exhibition Freshwater Saltwater exhibition UMI Arts, Cairns Qld

Curated exhibition You and Me UMI Arts, Cairns QLD

2020      UMI Arts Curated exhibition at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, online

UMI Arts Market at Darwin Aboriginal Arts Fair NT, online

Curated exhibition Freshwater Saltwater exhibition UMI Arts, Cairns Qld

2019      Curated exhibition DATSIP One William Building Brisbane Qld

Curated exhibition Freshwater Saltwater UMI Arts, Cairns Qld

Cape York Art Market at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Shipping Terminals Cairns QLD

2018      Curated exhibition You and Me UMI Arts, Cairns QLD

Curated exhibition Freshwater Saltwater exhibition UMI Arts, Cairns Qld

Meeanjin Markets, Com Games, Brisbane Qld

Sydney Connect Tradeshow, NSW

BTOF Markets UMI Arts, Cairns QLD

Cape York Art Market at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Shipping Terminals Cairns QLD

UMI Arts Curated exhibition at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Shipping Terminals Cairns QLD

UMI Arts Market at Darwin Aboriginal Arts Fair NT

2017      Curated exhibition You and Me UMI Arts, Cairns QLD

Curated exhibition Freshwater Saltwater exhibition UMI Arts, Cairns Qld

Cape York Art Curated exhibition at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Shipping Terminals Cairns QLD

Pullman exhibition, Cairns International Qld

UMI Arts Market at Darwin Aboriginal Arts Fair NT

2016      Curated exhibition You and Me UMI Arts, Cairns QLD

Curated exhibition Freshwater Saltwater exhibition UMI Arts, Cairns Qld

Cape York Art Curated exhibition at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Shipping Terminals Cairns QLD

Pullman exhibition, Cairns International Qld

2015       Curated exhibition You and Me, Members exhibition, UMI Arts, Cairns, QLD

Cape York Art Curated exhibition at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

Freshwater Saltwater exhibition UMI Arts, Cairns Qld

Touring exhibition UMI Arts, Cairns QLD

Pullman Exhibition, Cairns International Qld

Delmar Gallery, Trinity Grammar School NSW

2014       Curated exhibition August, Freshwater Saltwater, UMI Arts, Cairns, QLD

Curated exhibition August, Indigenous Art Fair, Shipping Terminals Cairns QLD

2013       Curated exhibition August, Freshwater Saltwater, UMI Arts, Cairns, QLD

Curated exhibition August, Indigenous Art Fair, Shipping Terminals Cairns QLD

2012       Group Exhibition August, Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair, Cairns Regional Gallery, QLD

Group exhibition November, Post Card Show, Cairns Regional Gallery, QLD

Group Exhibition August, Pathways, Umi Arts Cairns, QLD

2011          Group Exhibition August, Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair, Cairns Regional Gallery, QLD

Group exhibition November, Post Card Show, Cairns Regional Gallery, QLD

2010 Solo exhibition August, Kokoberrin Country, Canopy Arts Space, Cairns QLD

Curated exhibition August, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns Regional Gallery, QLD

Curated exhibition August, Pathways, UMI Arts, Cairns, QLD

Solo exhibition February, Japingka Gallery, Perth, WA

2009 Group exhibition December, Summer Show, Hogarth Gallery, Paddington, NSW

Group exhibition December, Summer Show, Joan Winter Gallery, Brisbane, QLD

Solo exhibition October, Hogarth Gallery, Paddington, NSW

Solo exhibition September, Framed Gallery, Darwin NT

Curated exhibition August, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Tanks Arts Centre, Qld

Solo exhibition May, Returning Home, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns, QLD

Group exhibition June, UMI Arts, The Dreaming Festival, Woodford, QLD

Solo exhibition June, My Homelands, Daintree Eco Lodge, Daintree, QLD

2008 Solo exhibition September, Pinnarinch, Helen Maxwell Braddon, Canberra, ACT

Solo exhibition October, Pretty Pretty Shell, MARS Gallery, Port Melbourne, VIC

Solo exhibition June, Stories of the Kokoberrin, The Dreaming Festival, Woodford, QLD

Group exhibition June, Festival of Pacific Arts, American Samoa

Group exhibition November, The RAKA Award, Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of

Melbourne, VIC

Group exhibition June, Joan Winter Gallery, Paddington, Brisbane, QLD

Group exhibition May, Banggu Minjaany Art Gallery, Cairns, QLD

2007 Solo exhibition June, Japingka Gallery, Perth, WA

Solo exhibition September, My Country, Hogarth Galleries, Paddington, NSW

Solo exhibition November, Bundarra Gallery, Port Douglas, QLD

Solo exhibition June, Old Spirits, Tanks Arts Centre Cairns, Qld

Group exhibition August, 24th Telstra National ATSI Art Award, MAGNT, Darwin, NT

Group exhibition February, Opera House, Aboriginal Tourism Australia, NSW

Group exhibition November, Post Card Show, Cairns Regional Gallery, QLD

2006 Solo exhibition April, Earth’s Dust – Creation, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns, QLD

Solo exhibition June, Dreaming Story, Hogarth Galleries, Paddington, NSW

Solo exhibition May, Clear Day, Banggu Minjaany Art Gallery, Cairns, QLD

Solo exhibition September, Returning Home, Helen Maxwell Gallery, Canberra, ACT

Group exhibition June, Gatherings II, Kick Arts Gallery, Cairns, QLD

Group exhibition June, NAIDOC, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns, QLD

Group exhibition November, Post Card Show, Cairns Regional Gallery, QLD

2005 Solo exhibition June, Pinnarinch, Andrew Baker Art Dealer Bowen Hills, QLD

Group exhibition August, 22nd Telstra National ATSI Art Award, MAGNT, NT

2004 Group exhibition Out of Country, Washington, D.C. USA

Group exhibition Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

2003 Group exhibition May, Story Place, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane Australia

Group exhibition June, Cape York + Torres Strait Art, QLD Art Gallery, Brisbane

Group exhibition Great Art Exhibition, Germany Grosse Kunstausstellung Dusseldorf, Germany